OSCAR® WINNER CHARLIZE THERON, CHANNING TATUM, JOSEPH GORDON-LEVITT AND DANIEL RADCLIFFE TO MAKE SPECIAL APPEARANCES ON THE OSCARS®

BEVERLY HILLS, CA – The Oscars will feature special appearances by Academy Award® winner Charlize Theron, Channing Tatum, Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Daniel Radcliffe at the upcoming Awards ceremony.

“We are quite excited to have Charlize, Chan, Joe and Dan join us on the show,” said telecast producers Craig Zadan and Neil Meron. “We are happy to feature them as special guests in our production.”

This will be Gordon-Levitt, Radcliffe and Tatum’s first time appearing on the Oscar show.

Theron won an Oscar for her leading role in “Monster” and received her second nomination for her leading role in “North Country” (2005). Theron starred in 2012’s “Prometheus” and “Snow White and the Huntsman.”

Tatum, who starred in five films of 2012, including “Magic Mike,” “21 Jump Street” and “The Vow,” will next be seen in “Side Effects,” due out this week, and “White House Down,” due out this Summer.

Gordon-Levitt had a very busy year, with roles in “Dark Knight Rises,” “Looper” and the Best Picture nominee “Lincoln.” He most recently starred in “Don Jon’s Addiction,” which he also wrote and directed, and which premiered at Sundance last month.

Radcliffe starred as the title character in the “Harry Potter” series, which is the highest grossing film series of all time. In 2012 he starred in “The Woman in Black,” and this year will be seen in “Kill Your Darlings,” “Horns” and “The F Word.”

Theron, Tatum, Gordon-Levitt and Radcliffe join a stellar list of previously announced Oscar presenters including “The Avengers” cast members Robert Downey Jr., Samuel L. Jackson, Chris Evans, Jeremy Renner and Mark Ruffalo; returning 2011 Oscar winners Jean Dujardin, Christopher Plummer, Octavia Spencer and Meryl Streep; co-stars Mark Wahlberg and Ted; and, musical performers including Adele, Norah Jones and Barbra Streisand.

Oscars for outstanding film achievements of 2012 will be presented on Oscar Sunday, February 24, at the Dolby Theatre™ at Hollywood & Highland Center, and will be hosted by Seth MacFarlane live on the ABC Television Network. The Oscar presentation also will be televised live in more than 225 countries worldwide. For more information go to Oscar.com or download the official Oscars app.

ABOUT CRAIG ZADAN AND NEIL MERON

Craig Zadan and Neil Meron are producers of critically acclaimed and award-winning feature films, television movies, series, and Broadway productions. Their feature films include The Bucket List, Footloose, Hairspray, and Chicago, which won six Academy Awards including one for “Best Picture.” For television, they’ve produced films of “Steel Magnolias,” “Life with Judy Garland,” and “A Raisin in the Sun,” among many others and the series “Smash” and “Drop Dead Diva.” They recently returned to their roots in live theater by producing Broadway revivals of the Tony-winning “Promises, Promises” and the Tony-winning 50th Anniversary revival of “How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying.”

# # #

ABOUT THE ACADEMY
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences is the world’s preeminent movie-related organization, with a membership of more than 6,000 of the most accomplished men and women working in cinema. In addition to the annual Academy Awards–in which the members vote to select the nominees and winners-the Academy presents a diverse year-round slate of public programs, exhibitions and events; provides financial support to a wide range of other movie-related organizations and endeavors; acts as a neutral advocate in the advancement of motion picture technology; and, through its Margaret Herrick Library and Academy Film Archive, collects, preserves, restores and provides access to movies and items related to their history. Through these and other activities the Academy serves students, historians, the entertainment industry and people everywhere who love movies.

FOLLOW THE ACADEMY
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Step Up (a J!-ENT Blu-ray Disc Review)

“Step Up” may not be an original or even a great dance film, but I still enjoyed the dance choreography and the bad boy meets rich girl storyline.  Back when this film came out, I had low expectations.  But after watching it, I realized that “Step Up” is one of the better dancing films out there.  And since the release of this film, compared to the other “Step Up” films that have been released, “Step Up” still has the better storyline.  If you are a fan of the film or love dancing films, “Step Up” is definitely worth owning on Blu-ray!

Images courtesy of © 2012 Buena Vista Home Entertainment. All Rights Reserved.

TITLE: Step Up

FILM RELEASE: 2006

DURATION: 103 Minutes

BLU-RAY DISC INFORMATION: 1080p High Definition (2:35:1), English 5.1 DTS-HD MA, French and Spanish, 5.1 Dolby Digital, Subtitles:English SDH, French and Spanish

COMPANY: Touchstone Home Entertainment

RATED: PG-13 (For Thematic Elements, Brief Violence and Innuendo)

Release Date: July 3, 2012

Directed by Anne Fletcher

Screenplay by Duane Adler, Melissa Rosenberg

Story by Duane Adler

Produced by Erik Feig, Jennifer Gibgot, Adam Shankman, Patrick Wachsberger

Co-Producer: Meredith Milton

Executive Producer: David Garrett, Bob Hayward, John H. Starke

Associate Producer: Andrew Matosich, Mimi Tseng

Music by Aaron Zigman

Cinematography by Michael Seresin

Edited by Nancy Richardson

Casting by Joanna Colbert, Richard Mento

Production Design by Shepherd Frankel

Art Direction by Laura Ballinger

Set Decoration by Susan Kessel

Costume Design by Alix Hester

Starring:

Channing Tatum as Tyler Gage

Jenna Dewan-Tatum as Nora Clark

Damaine Radcliff as Mac Carter

De’Shawn Washington as Skinny Carter

Mario as Miles Darby

Drew Sidora as Lucy Avila

Rachel Griffiths as Director Gordon

Josh Henderson as Brett Dolan

Tim Lacatena as Andrew

Alyson Stoner as Camille

Heavy D as Omar

Deirdre Lovejy as Nora’s Mom

Jane Beard as Lena Freeman

Richard Pelzman as Bill Freeman

Experience the dynamic dancing and awesome music of Step Up – now on Blu-ray for the first time with an all-new digital restoration and enhanced picture and sound. Channing Tatum (21 Jump Street) sizzles as Tyler Gage, a streetwise hunk with a reckless streak, in this exhilarating movie about never giving up on your dreams. When Tyler is sentenced to do community service at a school for the performing arts, he wants nothing to do with their world…until he meets a beautiful dancer who gives him a chance and helps him discover his astonishing pure talent.
Featuring the incredible music of Yung Joc, Sean Paul, Chris Brown, Kelis, Mario and Ciara, Step Up explodes on Blu-ray High Definition. Relive every electrifying moment today!

Anne Fletcher appeared as a dancer on films such as “The Flinstones”, “The Mask” and “Tank Girl” but she also developed the choreography for “Boogie Nights” and “A Life Less Ordinary”.

Although best known as a choreographer, in 2006, Fletcher received the opportunity to direct her first film.  That film would be “Step Up” (2006), a $12 million dance/romance film starring unknown talent at the time, Channing Tatum and Jenna Dewan.

Suffice to say, “Step Up” was an amazing success despite critics panning it.  “Step Up” earned over $119 million in the box office and since the release of the movie, there are now a total of four “Step Up” films, Anne Fletcher has gone to direct films such as “27 Dresses” and “The Proposal”, Channing Tatum became a big movie star (“Public Enemies”, “G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra”, “21 Jump Street”, “The Vow”, “Magic Mike”) and Jenna Dewan (“The Playboy Club”, “Melrose Place”, “The Grudge 2″) would go on to marry her co-star and is now known as Jenna Dewan-Tatum.

The film would star R&B singer Mario (“Freedom Writers”), a a young Alyson Stoner (“Camp Rock” films, “Step Up 3D”, “Cheaper by the Dozen”, voice actress for “Phineas and Ferb”),  Rachel Griffiths (“Blow”, “Brothers & Sisters”, “Six Feet Under”), Drew Sidora (“Wild Hogs”, “Never Die Alone”, “White Chicks”), Damaine Radcliff (“Glory Road”, who does the visual effects now for “Supah Ninjas”), De’Shawn Washington and the late Heavy D.

And now “Step Up” will be released on Blu-ray in July 2012 courtesy of Touchstone Home Entertainment.

“Step Up” is set in Baltimore and Tyler Gage (as portrayed by Channing Tatum) hangs out with his best friend Mac (as portrayed by Damaine Radcliff) and his younger brother Skinny Carter (as portrayed by De’Shawn Washington).  Tyler lives with foster parents with a foster mother who is busy working, a father who is always watching TV and getting drunk and a foster brother and sister.

Tyler is a great street dancer but also has a hot temper that typically lands him in trouble.  After getting into a fight at a party, the three end up breaking into the Maryland School of Arts and destroying many of the props on stage.  A security guard manages to catch Tyler and in the process, is sentenced by a judge to 200 hours of community service at the school.  Director Gordon (as portrayed by Rachel Griffiths) tells Tyler that his actions has denied a student from receiving a scholarship because of the damage he had created.  And now, he will be working as an intern for the janitor.

Working as a janitor, Tyler often watches the dance class, especially looking at dancer Nora Clark (as portrayed by Jenna Dewan).  The two catch each other’s eyes but she is in a relationship with another guy.  Meanwhile, when Tyler’s friends go visit the school, Tyler shows off his street dancing and Nora sees him dancing from afar.

Nora Clark is a student preparing for her “senior showcase” and the showcase is her final shot of getting into a dance company.  But unfortunately her partner suffers an injury and with no partner, Nora stresses out that she will lose everything that she has worked hard for.  She tries to interview other male partners but none can lift her or can match her dancing.

Feeling dejected, Tyler offers to be her partner.  Feelings that she has nothing else to lose, she goes to test him by seeing if he can lift her.  And sure enough, he does.

Nora goes to Director Gordon asking for permission for Tyler to use his community service hours towards being her dance partner for rehearsals and the reluctant director agrees.

And as Nora and Tyler being to practice with each other, both start becoming even closer and for Tyler, being part of the Maryland School of Arts and the dance program, makes him feel that he would like to be part of it as well.  But his friend Mac is now getting into stealing vehicles for a chop shop and wanting Tyler to be involved.  Meanwhile, Mac’s younger brother Skinny is also wanting to be part of the action.

But as Tyler becomes more dedicated to dancing with Nora and helping her with her “Senior Showcase”, he must choose to pursue his dreams as a dancer or to live a life in crime which may lead to tragedy.

VIDEO:

“Step Up” is presented in 1080p High Definition (2:35:1).   Having watched this film several times, especially for the dance choreography, I can easily say that the film looks absolutely gorgeous on Blu-ray.  From the cinematography of the talented Michael Seresin (“Harry Potter and the Prison of Azkaban”, “Midnight Express”, “The Life of David Gale”, “Sleeping Dogs”), Seresin is known for capturing action and despair.  For this film, he manages to capture inner-street culture, beautiful scenery as both Tyler and Nora are above a building top overlooking the harbor but most importantly capturing dance choreography and making things look smooth.

The video quality for this 2006 film looks good especially during the dance scenes which utilize a lot of different lights and coloring.  If anything, Seresin uses lighting effectively throughout the film.  Skin tones look natural, I was expecting to possibly see banding during the more intensive red lighting but everything looked great. Black levels were nice and deep and I detected no banding, DNR or artifacting during my viewing of the entire film.

The clarity of the Blu-ray release over the original DVD release is quite noticeable and fans of the film should be happy with this Blu-ray release.

AUDIO & SUBTITLES:

“Step Up” is presented in English 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio, French and Spanish 5.1 Dolby Digital.  First and foremost, “Step Up” is a film that is primarily dialogue and music-driven.  While there are some scenes such as broken glass or even a gun shot, dialogue is crystal clear as with the music which utilizes bass, cool beats and also scenes with crowd ambiance (especially during the final sequence).  The lossless soundtrack is quite appropriate for this film and fans who enjoyed the film before, will enjoy the clarity of the music on Blu-ray!

Subtitles are in English SDH, French and Spanish.

SPECIAL FEATURES

“Step Up” comes with the following special features:

• Deleted Scenes – A total of seven deleted scenes including an optional deleted scenes commentary track by director Anne Fletcher.
• Bloopers – (1:36) Outtakes from “Step Up”.
• Making the Movie – (4:39) Director Ann Fletcher talks about being a choreographer and working with a talented team including the choreographers who helped prepapre the talent for the film.  Interviews with cast and Benny the choreographer.
  
• Music Videos – Featuring the following music videos “Step Up” by Samantha Jade, “(When You Gonna) Give It Up to Me” by Sean Paul feat. Keyshia Cole, “Say Goodbye” by Chris Brown and “Get Up” Ciara feat. Chamillionaire.

Having watched the “Step Up” films evolve since the original, I felt that the films have become more of an emphasis on choreography than story.  Which is not a bad thing if you tend to watch dance films wanting to see more choreography, but “Step Up” is one of those films that you look back and say to yourself, “Channing Tatum was pretty awesome in that movie”.

Sure, we are so used to seeing Channing Tatum as action hero or romantic lead but “Step Up” was an earlier work that did show some potential for the actor.  To tell you the truth, he seemed so natural as a dancer and you just don’t see that happening with a lot of movie stars, who typically train for the role and have a body double.

But not for this film.

This is where Anne Fletcher’s strength as a choreographer is effective.  She knows how fake dance films can be when the actual talents are not being used and in this case, she made sure that the cast was well-selected and most importantly, she envisioned how the choreography would be and have her staff prepare for the talent for those scenes.  Both Channing Tatum and Jenna Dewan look natural, feel natural and it made the film work.  I actually liked the blending of ballet and hip-hop choreography.

But with that being said about the choreography, what about the film and the acting?

Haven’t we been there before with the 2001 film “Save the Last Dance”.  Ballerina hooks up with a tough guy from the wrong side of the city.  Granted, Channing Tatum is not Black but there is a banality of films about rich girl, poor guy/bad boy hooking up.

Also, I’ve described Channing Tatum’s acting as stiff, not recently but more of his past films.  But I will say unlike “G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra”, Tatum is more in his element it seems for “Step Up” and by no means is his dancing stiff.  The guy can pop, dance and still shows a little bit of that when I was reviewing the Blu-ray of “21 Jump Street” earlier in the week.

The thing is, he has grown as an actor since this film but the character role of Tyler, a troubled teen from a troubled home, Tatum made it work!

Aside from banality, there are some issues of pacing and for more serious viewers, some may feel the subplot involving Miles Darby (as portrayed by Mario) and Lucy Avila (as portrayed by Drew Sidora) as unnecessary.  In a way, it was because these characters were not fleshed out all that well.  They are more diversions, where at least Miles contributes to the music, Lucy Avila is more of the friend who keeps egging her friend Nora to go for Tyler.  But when it comes to their friendship, the storyline falls apart and feels forced as if the film needed to increase the time of duration.  In fact, there is a storyline that involves Nora’s boyfriend/ex-boyfriend Brett Dolan (as portrayed by Josh Henderson) and it seems as if he could be an intriguing rival to Tyler but his character disappears by the second half of the film.

If anything, I wish more was explored into the life of Tyler Gage at home or even with his friends, otherwise this film really needed fine tuning with its supporting characters.

But despite a few of the problems that the film had, I did enjoy it.  And it did make a tremendous amount of money and definitely set made things brighter for both Channing Tatum and director Anne Fletcher and many more “Step Up” films to come.

As for the Blu-ray release, for those who own the previous DVD, the special features are the same but the difference is better clarity on video and better sound quality thanks to the lossless soundtrack.  And if you love the film, the upgrade is definitely worth it.

Overall,  “Step Up” may not be an original or even a great dance film, but I still enjoyed the dance choreography and the bad boy meets rich girl storyline.  Back when this film came out, I had low expectations.  But after watching it, I realized that “Step Up” is one of the better dancing films out there.  And since the release of this film, compared to the other “Step Up” films that have been released, “Step Up” still has the better storyline.

If you are a fan of the film or love dancing films, “Step Up” is definitely worth owning on Blu-ray!

21 Jump Street (a J!-ENT Blu-ray Disc Review)

“21 Jump Street” was a gut-busting, piss in your pants type of action comedy film.  I was dreading the film as a die-hard fan of the original TV series but by the end of the film, I enjoyed it so much that I can’t wait for the sequel!   For those who want to laugh and are in the mood for a crazy, hilarious film…”21 Jump Street” is definitely recommended!

Images courtesy of © 2012 Columbia Pictures Industries, Inc. and Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures Inc. All Rights Reserved.

TITLE: 21 Jump Street

FILM RELEASE: 2012

DURATION: 109 Minutes

BLU-RAY DISC INFORMATION: 1080p High Definition (2:40:1), English 5.1 DTS-HD MA, French, Spanish, Thai, English – Audio Description Track 5.1 Dolby Digital, Subtitles: English, English SDH, French, Spanish, Chinese (Mandarin Simplified), Chinese (Mandarin Traditional), Indonesian/Bahasa, Korean, Thai

COMPANY: Sony Pictures Home Entertainment

RATED: R (Crude and Sexual Content, Pervasive Language, Drug Material, Teen Drinking and Some violence)

Release Date: June 26, 2012

Directed by Phil Lord, Chris Miller

Screenplay by Michael Bacall

Story by Michael Bacall and Jonah Hill

Based on the TV series by Patrick Hasburgh, Stephen J. Cannell

Produced by Stephen . Cannell, Neal H. Moritz

Executive Producer: Jonah Hill, Ezra Swerdlow, Channing Tatum

Music by Mark Mothersbaugh

Cinematography by Barry Peterson

Edited by Joel Negron

Casting by Nicole Abellera, Jeanne McCarthy

Production Design by Peter Wenham

Art Direction by Scott Plauche

Set Decoration by Bob Kensinger

Costume Design by Laah Katznelson

Starring:

Jonah Hill as Schmidt

Channing Tatum as Jenko

Brie Larson as Molly Tracey

Dave Franco as Eric Molson

Rob Riggle as Mr. Walters

DeRay Davis as Domingo

Ice Cube as Captain Dickson

Dax Flame as Zack

Chris Parnell as Mr. Gordon

Ellie Kemper as Ms. Griggs

Jake M. Johnson as Principal Dadier

Nick Offerman as Deputy Chief Hardy

Holly Robinson Pete as Officer Judy Hoffs

Johnny Pemberton as Delroy

Stanley Wong as Roman

Justin Hires as Juario

Brett Lapeyrouse as Amir

Lindsey Broad as Lisa

Former high school foes turned rookie cop partners can’t catch a break – until they’re assigned to pose as students and bust a drug ring inside their old alma mater. Living like teenagers again, they slip back into their adolescent selves and risk the case – and their friendship – with hysterically disastrous results! Jonah Hill, Channing Tatum and Ice Cube star in this outrageously hilarious action-comedy!

For many people who grew up in the ’80s, “21 Jump Street” was the ultimate ensemble cop show.

Aimed at a younger generation, the crime drama series was part of the beginning of the FOX network, which fascinated many people for its youthful or politically incorrect television series and in the case of “21 Jump Street”, many were fascinated by its stars.

Created by Patrick Hasburgh and Stephen J. Cannel, “21 Jump Street” would star young talents Johnny Depp, Holly Robinson, Peter DeLuise, Dustin Nguyen, Frederic Forrest, Steven Williams, Richard Grieco and many more. The concept of the series would be about police officers with youthful appearances and thus, would allow them to be undercover cops in high schools and colleges to investigate drug trafficking and abuse.

The series would air in 1987 through 1991 with a total of  103 episodes.  Fast forward to 2008, Columbia Pictures would have the rights to the film adaptation of the series and actors Jonah Hill (“Superbad”, “Moneyball”, “Forgetting Sarah Marshall”) and Michael Bacall (“Inglourious Basterds”, “Grindhouse”, “Pumpkin”) would be responsible for writing the story.  And in Hill’s words, his goal was to create an “R-rated, insane, “Bad Boys” meets John Hughes type movie”.

Tapped to direct the film were writing duo Phil Lord and Chris Miller (“Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs”, “Clone High” and co-executive producers of the TV sitcom “How I Met Your Mother”).

The film would be a departure from the original TV series which was created as a drama series with a moral message.  The film adaptation would be more of an action comedy film and instead of featuring a group, it would focus on two police officers played by Jonah Hill and Channing Tatum (“The Vow”, “Dear John”, “Step Up”).

And the film which was budgeted at $42 million would become a success for Columbia Pictures/MGM/Original Film as it would earn over $192 million in the box office and also receive positive reviews from film critics.

And now, “21 Jump Street” will be released on Blu-ray and DVD in June 2012.

“21 Jump Street” begins in 2005 as it introduces the viewers to Morton Schmidt (as portrayed by Jonah Hill), a shy, smart, Eminem wannabee who wants to ask his female friend out to the prom.  Meanwhile, Greg Jenko (as portrayed by Channing Tatum) is the not-so-smart high school jock who likes to pick on Morton.  And teases him when Morton is shot down by the girl who feels disgusted that Morton asked her out to the prom.

Meanwhile, as Greg is preparing for a wonderful prom and a night of fun, he is given bad news that due to his bad grades, he would not be attending prom.

Fast forward to 2012 and Morton and Greg are in police academy.  And the two become friends as Morton would assist Greg in studying to pass the written tests, while Greg would help Morton with motivating Morton with physical activity exercises.  And with their friendship, both pass the police academy.

And as police officers, both thought their lives would be like the police officers seen on television or movies but instead, both are riding bikes as part of the park patrol.  But one day, the two spot drug deal in progress and both feel if they can bust the drug dealers, they can be promoted and have better police beat.  And eventually, both manage to catch a drug leader Domingo (as portrayed by DeRay Davis, “Semi Pro”, “Life as we Know It”) but with one problem.

The two forgot to read the drug leader his Miranda rights and thus, Domingo is able to walk free from jail.

Upset that both men do not know the Miranda rights, their Captain reassigns them to a revived division known as “21 Jump Street”.

Shocked that their headquarters is at an old Korean church, they and other officers are introduced to Captain Dickson (as portrayed by Ice Cube, “Boyz in the Hood”, “Friday”).  Captain Dickson explains to the officers that their division specializes in infiltrating high schools and they were chosen for their youthful appearances.  As for Morton Schmidt and Greg Jenko, they are assigned to go back to their old high school and find the supplier and distributor of a new synthetic drug that is spreading to campuses (and some students are dying from).

Captain Schmidt gives them orders to also not get expelled and no sexual activity with students, teachers or anyone from the school.  And gives them their identities and classes.

As the two go back to high school and Jenko tries to help Schmidt on how to be cool at high school, both are shocked by how much high school has changed since they last attended.  Being a nerd is cool, gays are more accepted and the groups that existed in high school have all but changed.  A shocking discovery for Jenko but makes Schmidt quite happy, as he feels that he would have been popular.

But on the first day of school, both guys meet Eric (as portrayed by Dave Franco, “Super Bad”, “Fright Night”, “Charlie St. Cloud”) and his group of friends who ask them about their car and the environment.  Meanwhile, Schmidt becomes attracted to Eric’s friend Molly Tracey (as portrayed by Brie Larson, “Scott Pilgrim vs. The World”, “United States of Tara”, “13 Going on 30″).  And when both guys are being admonished by the group about the environment, Jenko’s frustration and anger leads to him punching out Eric’s friend who happens to be gay.

The punch leads both Schmidt and Jenko at the principal’s office and both are warned that if they get into any trouble, they will be expelled.  To make things worse, both guys forget their identities and end up getting their identities switched, so Schmidt ends up being a star athlete who cares about drama and Jenko becomes the student who loves chemistry.  While Jenko tries to get used to his new surroundings, Schmidt gets used to meeting new friends that he starts to like and also being coached by Mr. Walters (as portrayed by Rob Riggle, “The Hangover”, “The Other Guys”).

But as the two try to get used to their undercover high school life, both find out that the person who is in charge of distributing the drugs is the popular environmentalist Eric and now both must do all they can to find the supplier.  But it’s not going to be easy as Schmidt begins to like his new student life so much because he is hanging out with the cool group and becoming good friend with Eric and growing closer with Molly.  As for Jenko, he starts to see the other side of things as he now hangs out with the nerds and sees how his friend Schmidt is changing because he is part of the “popular” crowd.

As the two friends and officers begin to have their differences, will the two be able to solve the case of finding the supplier?

VIDEO:

“21 Jump Street” is presented in 1080p High Definition (2:40:1).  For video quality, it appears that there was an intentional decision by cinematographer Barry Peterson (“Jumper”, “Zoolander”, “Starsky & Hutch”) to shoot the film with more subdued colors.  So, the creative decision to go that direction leads to a warmer, subdued, dare I say a little softer look at times.  But there are also scenes that look brighter and darker and if anything, it works for the film.  Black levels are nice and deep, details are good but the film is not vibrant as one may hope for it to be.

AUDIO & SUBTITLES:

“21 Jump Street” is presented in English 5.1 DTS-HD MA and French, Spanish, Thai, English-Audio Description Track 5.1 Dolby Digital.  As one would expect from a film with plenty of action, the lossless soundtrack for “21 Jump Street” is fantastic.  From gun shots, explosions, crunching metal to you name it…there is wonderful use of the surround channels and LFE.  Dialogue is crisp and clear and even the music sounds fantastic!  Overall, listeners will enjoy the immersive soundscape of those action sequences during their viewing of the film.

Subtitles are in English, English SDH, French, Spanish, Chinese Mandarin (Traditional and Simplified), Indonesian/Bahasa, Korean and Thai.

SPECIAL FEATURES

“21 Jump Street” comes with the following special features:

• Audio Commentary – Featuring audio commentary with directors Chris Miller and Phil Lord, Jonah Hill and Channing Tatum.
  
• Deleted Scenes – (29:32) Featuring 20 deleted scenes.
  
• Gag Reel – (4:58) Featuring outtakes from “21 Jump Street”.
• Cube-O-Rama – (1:53) Featuring Ice Cube scenes and improv not featured in the final cut of the film.
• Back to School – (7:45) Jonah Hill, Channing Tatum, Neil Moritz (producer) talk abut going back to high school, its storyline and how the film came to be.
• Brothers in Arms – (11:30) Producer Neil Moritz, Jonah Hill and Channing Tatum talk about their action sequences and casting two opposites.
• Johnny Depp on Set – (4:42) Directors Chris Miller and Phil Lord along with the cast talk about Johnny Depp’s cameo in the film and their thoughts when they saw him appear on the set.
• The Rob Riggle Show – (9:24) A featurette on Rob Riggle and how he was cast for the film.
• Peter Pan on Freeway – (4:12) A featurette of the shooting of the freeway scene.

EXTRAS:

“21 Jump Street” comes with an UltraViolet code to allow for streaming to computers, tablets or smartphones.

Prior to “21 Jump Street” being released to theaters, I was dreading the film.

Why?  Because I was one of those teenagers in the ’80s who loved “21 Jump Street” on television.  I wanted to dress like Officer Tom Hanson (Johnny Depp) and Officer Harry Truman Ioki (Dustin Nguyen) and the show was a big part of my teenage life.  When Depp sported the ’70s vintage watch strap with no watch, I did the same.  When, Nguyen sported a certain hairstyle, I did the same. I would listen to the “21 Jump Street” soundtrack over and over and would have VHS tape of TV recordings of the series.

So, suffice to say, when you hear Jonah Hill will be writing “21 Jump Street”, I kept asking “Why?”.

And now, having watched “21 Jump Street”, I have to say that I really enjoyed this hilarious film.  Yes, it deviates from the TV series that it is more comedy-driven, a lot of crude and sexual content and humor, but it works.  And instead of the ensemble cast, it becomes more of the police buddy movie that has been done before, but with even more crazy comedy and humor that overshadows similar police buddy comedy films such as “Rush Hour”, “Starsky & Hutch” or “The Other Guys”.

And of course, it’s written by Jonah Hill and Michael Bacall, two men who know crude comedy that works for today’s generation.  For example, in one scene, both men were forced to take the synthetic drug and in order to make themselves to vomit it out, both subject themselves to fingering each other’s mouths. Or another scene where the drug reaches its height with the character of Schmidt, and during a track meet run, uses the baton and pretends it’s his own penis.  There are so many crazy, gut-busting scenes that made me laugh out loud and the comedy works.  Especially one hilarious, gross out scene at the end of the film involving actor Rob Riggle, which you don’t see coming.

And “21 Jump Street” is a film that allows Ice Cube to get back to the character with so many F-bombs, it’s so crazy!

But what lends to the film’s efficacy is the unknown.  Jonah Hill and Channing Tatum are the unlikely police duo, similar to how Will Ferrell and Mark Wahlberg were in “The Other Guys” but not as annoying and much more funnier.  “21 Jump Street” taps into the opposites attract and with this unlikely bromance, Hill and Tatum played their characters wonderfully.    And considering the film has made so much money, there is no doubt that we will see a sequel.

As for the old “21 Jump Street” TV series, fans also get to see Johnny Depp, Peter DeLuise and Holly Robinson Peete play their original characters.  While some talents are shown on a TV screen, this small homage to the TV series also made me wonder if the character Greg Jenko (Tatum) had any relation to the short-lived “21 Jump Street” character Captain Richard Jenko from the TV series.

So, while the “21 Jump Street” film adaptation was much different from the TV series, as a fan of the original TV series, I’m glad there were major differences but also managed to interject some of the show into the film, especially showcasing the bromance between original characters Officer Tom Hanson (Depp) and Officer Doug Penhall (DeLuise) and with Schmidt and Jenko.  More or less, the passing of the baton of one era to another.

As for the Blu-ray release, while video quality was good, I wish it was more vibrant but I understand the more dimmer look of the film was possibly a creative decision.  As for the audio, the lossless soundtrack is fantastic.  And there are also many short special features included on the Blu-ray release.

Overall, “21 Jump Street” was a gut-busting, piss in your pants type of action comedy film.  I was dreading the film as a die-hard fan of the original TV series but by the end of the film, I enjoyed it so much that I can’t wait for the sequel!   For those who want to laugh and are in the mood for a crazy, hilarious film…”21 Jump Street” is definitely recommended!

 

The Son of No One (a J!-ENT Blu-ray Disc Review)

Filmmaker/screenwriter Dito Montiel reunites with actor Channing Tatum in a crime thriller.  Featuring a solid cast and great cinematography, “The Son of No One” will appeal to Channing Tatum fans and those who enjoy popcorn crime thrillers.

Images courtesy of © 2010 Sono Productions. All Rights Reserved.

TITLE: The Son of No One

FILM RELEASE: 2011

DURATION: 94 Minutes

BLU-RAY DISC INFORMATION: 1080p High Definition (2:35:1), English Dolby TrueHD 5.1, Spanish Mono, Subtitles: Spanish

COMPANY: Anchor Bay Films

RATED: R (Violence, Pervasive Language and Brief Disturbing Sexual Content)

RELEASE DATE: February 21, 2012

Directed by Dito Montiel

Written by Dito Montiel

Executive Producer: Boaz Davidson, Danny Dimbort, Patricia Eberle, Cassian Elwes, Alex Francis, Joy Gorman, Avi Lerner, Jake Pushinksy, Richard Rionda Del Castro, Trevor Short, Trudie Styler

Producer: Avi Lerner, Dito Montiel, John Thompson, Holly Wiersma

Line Producer: Brian Bell

Music by Jonathan Elias, David Wittman

Cinematography by Benoit Delhomme

Editing by Jake Pushinsky

Casting by Kerry Barden, Karen E. Etcoff, Paul Schnee

Production Design by Beth ickle

Art Diretion by Michael Ahern

Set Decoration by Carrie Stewart

Costume Design by Sandra Hernandez

Starring:

Al Pacino as Detective Charles Stanford

Channing Tatum as Jonathan White

James Ransone as Officer Thomas Prudenti

Ray Liotta as Captain Marion Mathers

Katie Holmes as Kerry White

Ursula Parker as Charolette “Charlie” White

Jake Cherry as Jonathan Milk” White

Brian Gilbert as Young Vinnie

Tracy Morgan as Vincent Carter

In this searing police thriller, Jonathan (Channing Tatum) is a second-generation cop who gets in over his head when he’s assigned to re-open a double homicide cold case in his Queens neighborhood. An anonymous source feeding new information on the long-unsolved murders to a local reporter (Juliette Binoche) leads to evidence suggesting a possible cover-up by the former lead detective (Al Pacino) who was on the investigation. As Jonathan digs deeper into the assignment, a dark secret about the case emerges, which threatens to destroy his life and his family. Written and directed by Dito Montiel, Son Of No One also stars Tracy Morgan, Katie Holmes, Ray Liotta and Jake Cherry. Music by David Wittman and Jonathan Elias.

Former punk punk musician and Versace model Dito Montiel has come a long way in his life and career.   In 1989, Montiel and his band Gutterboy received notoriety when their band signed a $1 million record deal with Geffen Records and after cashing in with a big recording contract, the band was dropped by the label.

The experience would lead Montiel to writing a best-selling book titled “A Guide to Recognizing Your Saints” and would follow with a film adaptation which he wrote and direct.

In that film, Montiel worked with actor Channing Tatum (“G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra”, “Dear John”, “Step Up”) for the very first time and worked together in the 2009 film “Fighting”.

In 2011, Montiel would write and direct his third film “The Son of No One” and would reunite with Channing and the independent film would also feature talents Al Pacino (“The Godfather”, “Scarface”), Ray Liotta (“Goodfellas”, “Smokin’ Aces”), Katie Holmes (“Batman Begins”, “Go”, “Dawson’s Creek”) and Juliette Binoche (“The English Patient”, “Blue”, “Dan in Real Life”).

The film was selected to close the 2011 Sundance Film Festival and now, “The Son of No One” would receive a Blu-ray and DVD release courtesy of Anchor Bay Entertainment.

“The Son of No One” is a film that focuses on police officer Jonathan White (played by Channing Tatum).  He is a married to Kerry (played by Katie Holmes) and has a young, ailing daughter who has seizures.  So, both parents are often concerned of the well-being of their daughter.  But for Kerry, she is quite concerned that Jonathan has been transferred to an area two hours from Staten Island (a not so great area) and is now constantly working late hours and is never home for the family.

But their sanctity and Jonathan’s piece-of-mind is shattered when a journalist named Lauren Bridges (played by Juliette Binoche) has printed letters of a possible coverup in 1986 and it is hurting the precinct’s image, especially for Captain Marion Mathers (played by Ray Liotta) who is running for re-election.

These letters startle Jonathan as the letters is anonymously targeted towards him.

Through occasional flashbacks, we are taken back to 1986. Jonathan who was known as “Milk”, lived in the projects and he and his best friend Vinnie had tough lives.  There were drug dealers, pedophiles and creepy people living in his building and the two were always the target of these individuals.

That year, a young Milk killed two people and we are told through flashbacks in 1986 of why he killed them and how he and his friends have kept the murders secret.

But one detective knows that Milk was responsible, Detective Stanford (played by Al Pacino) also was Milk’s father and swept the murders under the rug and covered everything up.

But someone from Jonathan’s past is trying to expose the cover-up and also expose Jonathan’s involvement by sending letters to a journalist hoping to air the NYPD’s dirty laundry.

Captain Marion Mathers is concerned about the press that Lauren is getting for publishing the anonymous letters and wants Jonathan to look into it.  Especially since it may destroy his and the precinct’s reputation.

As Jonathan becomes paranoid of who would release the information and try to hurt him, could it be his old friends from the projects?  Or is someone else responsible?

VIDEO:

“The Son of No One” is presented in 1080p High Definition (widescreen 2:35:1).  The picture quality is fantastic as there is great clarity, detail and good use of cool and warm colors.  Black levels are deep, skin tones are natural and possibly the best part of this Blu-ray release is its visual presentation.

Cinematographer Benoit Delhomme (“1408″, “The Boy in the Striped Pajamas”, “The Proposition”) did a wonderful job and great choices on the film’s lighting and Benoit’s cinematography looks fantastic on Blu-ray!

AUDIO & SUBTITLES:

“The Son of No One” is presented in English Dolby Digital 5.1 and Spanish Mono.  The film is primarily a dialogue-driven film but there are moments such as Jonathan’s car being rammed or a scene with multiple gun shots that does utilize the surround channels.  But it’s dialogue and surround environments and its ambiance that plays the biggest role in the lossless soundtrack.

Subtitles are in Spanish.

SPECIAL FEATURES

“The Son of No One” comes with the following special features:

If there is one major positive I can say about Dito Montiel films, it’s the fact that he is able to bring together an impressive cast for his films.

From his working relationship with Channing Tatum for three films, while “A Guide to Recognizing Your Saints” featured impressive casting, “The Son of No One” is quite intriguing that you have Al Pacino and Juliette Binoche starring in this indie crime thriller.

With that being said, it’s great to see Channing Tatum taking on a different type of role that he is cast in.  Usually, he is cast in younger roles or military roles but this time around, he’s a family man with a wife and kid and one mysterious past.  It’s a role that doesn’t require too much emotion and if anything, the character role suits Tatum very well!

As a cop, who along with a few others are keeping a secret that the main protagonist, Jonathan, murdered two junkies when he was young and living in the projects.  While the film had potential, the pacing was interrupted by constant flashbacks and uninspired acting.   And for a solid cast, you would think these talents would be better utilized.  Especially if you have Al Pacino in your film.

I wish I could say that Al Pacino was magnificent but he was barely utilized in the film. Sure, his character plays a pivotal role but I wish his character had much more going on, than these few short scenes.

Casting Tracy Morgan for a crime thriller, may seem a bit odd.  But Tracy Morgan was much easier to take-in as there are no in-your-face jokes or outrageous behavior.  If anything, he does a fine job of playing a restrained character who is emotionally messed up!  No wisecracking at all. This is probably the most serious role I have seen him star in and while he wasn’t utilized all that much, during his scenes…he did a good job playing a serious role.

Ray Liotta in a film is a giveaway.  If you seen his films, you know what kind of character he will be. And that’s all I have to say about Liotta, without giving too much away.

And last, we have Katie Holmes.  She plays the sweet, caring wife but there is unexplored areas that I found a bit frustrating because as a wife who is concerned about your husband, somehow her role was shut down after a major emotional scene.  It’s unfortunate because her role could have been explored much more, but she seems to have disappeared during the last leg of the film’s storyline.

Once again, this is the problem I have with “The Son of No One”.  Character utilization was poor, seemed rushed and while the plot had potential, this back-and-forth between present-time and flashbacks seem to hurt the pacing of the film.  If anything, would rather have less focus on the young actors, more focus on the major talents of this film.

With that being said, “The Son of No One” is not a terribly bad film.  In fact, the film featured awesome cinematography from Benoit Delhomme and an intriguing crime thriller that kept you interested.  It’s an intriguing film but when it comes down to it, the screenplay does feel as if it was rushed.  For a film with a strong cast, I also wish that there was better utilization of the characters during the present-time storyline.

As for the Blu-ray release, the picture quality is fantastic and as for special features, the audio commentary was quite interesting, despite the momentary commentary gaps.

Overall, “The Son of No One” may appeal to Channing Tatum fans or anyone that enjoys popcorn crime thriller.

THE SON OF NO ONE on BD/DVD on 2/21/12

ANCHOR BAY FILMS AND MILLENNIUM FILMS PROUDLY PRESENTS
A NU IMAGE PRODUCTION

THE SON OF NO ONE
Written and Directed by Dito Montiel
STARRING CHANNING TATUM, TRACEY MORGAN, KATIE HOLMES, RAY LIOTTA, JULIETTE BINOCHE,
AL PACINO and JAKE CHERRY

“Exhilarating and Powerful”
-–Avi Offer, NYCMovie Guru

Available on Blu-ray™ and DVD February 21, 2012

BEVERLY HILLS, CA – Anchor Bay Films is proud to announce the release of The Son of No One on Blu-ray™ and DVD, February 21, 2012.  A 2-disc Blu-ray™+DVD combo pack will also be available.  Hailed as   “A riveting piece of filmmaking [featuring] one of the best casts of the year” by Joel Amos, MovieFanatic.com, The Son of No One is agripping thriller about how far one police officer will go to keep his darkpast hidden and protect his family.  The release also contains deletedscenes and audio commentary with Writer/Producer/Director Dito Montiel and Editor/Executive Producer Jake Pushinsky.

Jonathan (Channing Tatum 21 Jump Street, The Vow) is a second-generation cop who gets in over his head when he’s assigned to re-open a double homicide cold case in his Queens neighborhood. An anonymous source feeding new information on the long-unsolved murders to a local reporter (Juliette Binoche Cosmopolis, Dan In Real Life, ) leads to evidence suggesting a possible cover-up by the former lead detective (Al Pacino The Godfather, Scarface) who was on the investigation. As Jonathan digs deeper into the assignment, a dark secret about the case emerges, which threatens to destroy his life and his family.

Channing Tatum delivers a gritty and memorable performance, while New York mainstay writer and director Dito Montiel (Guide to Recognizing Your Saints) is at the top of his game. Also starring Tracy Morgan (NBC’s “30 Rock”), Katie Holmes (Batman Begins), Ray Liotta (Goodfellas) and Jake Cherry (Night at the Museum), The Son of No One is a tense and powerful thriller filled with suspense, secrets and lies.

About Anchor Bay Films
Anchor Bay Films is unique in that it offers the creative community a fully integrated distribution capability on all platforms and an international solution extending beyond the U.S.  Anchor Bay Films is a division of Anchor Bay Entertainment and is on the ground providing quality distribution with operations in the U.S., United Kingdom, Canada and Australia, as well as distribution capabilities in other key territories. The company focuses on a platform release strategy for its films with an eye toward maximizing theirpotential across all ancillary distribution platforms. Upcoming is Corman’s World about Academy Award® winning filmmaker Roger Corman which premiered at Cannes 2011.  Films in its library include the critically-acclaimedcomedy City Island starring Andy Garcia and Solitary Man starring Michael Douglas as well as the 2011 releases of Kill the Irishman starring Ray Stevenson, Vincent D’Onofrio, Val Kilmer and Christopher Walken and Toronto Film Festival award-winner Beautiful Boy with Maria Bello and Michael Sheen.  Anchor Bay Entertainment is a subsidiary of Starz Media, LLC (www.starzmedia.com) which is an operating unit of Starz, LLC, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Liberty Media Corporation (NASDAQ: LMCA).

SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE RETURNS IN FEBRUARY WITH THREE BACK-TO-BACK SHOWS

NEW YORK  – January 11, 2012 – Channing Tatum makes his debut as host on February 4. Tatum can next be seen alongside Jonah Hill in the feature film “21 Jumpstreet” due out March 16. His past film credits include “Coach Carter,” “Step Up,” “Stop-Loss,” and “Dear John.”

The Grammy-nominated band Bon Iver will make their SNL debut alongside Tatum. The group released their second album, “Bon Iver,” in June 2011 to critical praise garnering attention for many of their singles including “Holocene,” which received two Grammy nominations and “Calgary.”

Zooey Deschanel will make her debut SNL appearance as host on February 11. Deschanel stars in the hit sitcom “New Girl,” for which she recently earned Golden Globe nominations for both Best Actress and Best Television Comedy. Deschanel has starred in several films including “500 Days Of Summer,” “Yes Man,” and “Elf;” and along with her many film and television credits, boasts an impressive musical career as one half of the critically acclaimed band, She&Him. Deschanel was nominated for a Grammy Award for her original song “So Long,” written and performed for the feature film “Winnie The Pooh.”

The “swag pop” music duo, Karmin, will make their first musical guest appearance on February 11. Best known for their covers of Billboard chart toppers, Karmin are releasing their debut album with their own original songs including “Crash Your Party” and “Broken Hearted.”

“Saturday Night Live” is produced in association with Broadway Video. The creator and executive producer is Lorne Michaels.

Dear John (a J!-ENT Blu-ray Disc Review)

An emotional, romantic and heartfelt film from the writer of “The Notebook”.   “Dear John” is a film about finding love, losing love and as a viewer, you find yourself wanting to see if love can ever be rekindled.  Definitely a Blu-ray for those looking for an entertaining, romantic film.

Images courtesy of © 2010 Dear John, LLC. All Rights Reserved.

TITLE: Dear John

DURATION: 108 Minutes

BLU-RAY DISC INFORMATION: 1080p High Definition (2:40:1), English, 5.1 DTS-HD MA, English -Audio Description Track 5.1 Dolby Digital, Subtitles: English, English SDH

COMPANY: Screen Gems/Sony Pictures Home Entertainment

RATED: PG-13 (For Some Sensuality and Violence)

RELEASE DATE: May 18, 2010

Based on a novel by Nicholas Sparks

Directed by Lasse Hallstrom

Screenplay by Jamie Linden

Executive Producer: Jeremiah Samuels, Tucker Tooley

Produced by Marty Bowen, Wyck Godfrey, Ryan Kavanaugh

Co-Produced by Ken Halsband

Music by Deborah Lurie

Cinematography by Terry Stacey

Edited by Kristina Boden

Casting by Joanna Colbert, Mark Fincannon, Richard Mento

Production Design by Kara Lindstrom

Art Direction by Mark Garner

Set Decoration by Summer Eubanks

Costume Design by Dana Campbell, Kathryn Langston

Starring:

Channing Tatum as John Tyree

Amanda Seyfried as Savannah Curtis

Richard Jenkins as Mr. Tyree

Henry Thomas as Tim Wheddon

D.J. Cotrona as Noodles

Cullen Moss as Rooster

Gavin McCulley as Starks

Jose Lucena Jr. as Bery

Keith Robinson as Captain Stone

Scott Porter as Randy

Leslea Fisher as Susan

William Howard Bowman as Daniels

David Andrews as Mr. Curtis

Mary Rachel Dudley as Mrs. Curtis

It was two weeks that would change their lives forever. Soon after John (Channing Tatum – PUBLIC ENEMIES, G.I. JOE) and Savannah (Amanda Seyfried – MAMMA MIA, TV’s “Big Love”) fall madly in love, their relationship is put on hold. With one leaving to complete his service, and the other to complete her college education, they pass the time by exchanging a continuous stream of love letters, until they can be reunited permanently a year later. But when war breaks out, their separation is extended indefinitely. Will their relationship survive the greatest test of all: the test of time? Based on the bestselling novel from the author of “The Notebook,” DEAR JOHN is a timeless romance that will warm your heart.

When it comes to films that are adapted from Nicholas Sparks novels, you know you can expect romance, conflict and for the most part, for those who enjoy romantic films, films that can usually be seen as uplifting and remembered.

From Sparks novels such as “Message in a Bottle”, “A Walk to Remember”, “The Notebook” and “Nights in Rodanthe”, “Dear John” is the latest novel to receive an adaptation.  With a screenplay by Jamie Linden (“We Are Marshall”), the film would be directed by Lasse Hallstrom (“Hachiko: A Dog’s Story”, “Chocolat”, “The Cider House Rules”, “What’s Eating Gilbert Grape”).  The film would feature cinematography by Terry Stacey (“P.S. I Love You”, “Adventureland”) and music composed by Debora Lurie (“Dreamgirls”, “Spider-Man 3″, “Wanted”, “X-men 2″).

Although the film was not well-received by critics, films based on Nicholas Sparks novels have proven to become quite successful and was the film responsible of knocking “Avatar” out of the #1 box office position (note: Avatar was #1 for seven weeks) and “Dear John” which was budgeted at $25 million would earn over $94 million in the box office.

The film would revolve around two individuals during their summer vacation in 2001.   The film begins with images of John Tyree (played by Channing Tatum, “G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra”, “Public Enemies”), a soldier of the US Army Special Forces who has been shot in battle.  While he lays down, all that goes through his mind is his childhood trip to the U.S. Coin Mint and in his words, the last things he thought about before blacking out was “you”.

We are then taken back to the Summer of 2001 as John Tyree is enjoying his two weeks vacation at the beach and surfing during the Summer.  But while on top of the boardwalk, he sees Savannah Lynn Curtis (played by Amanda Seyfried, “Mamma Mia!”, “Jennifer’s Body”, “Veronica Mars”) along with her friends.  Savannah’s purse falls towards the water below and John jumps from the boardwalk to retrieve it for her.  After getting her purse, the two immediately the two start getting to know each other and enjoying each other’s company.  The two talk about how he will be leaving to go back to his base in Germany in two weeks, while she will be going to college in two weeks.

We are introduced to Savannah’s friends including her neighbor Tim Wheddon (played by Henry Thomas, “Red Velvet”, “Gangs of New York”) who is a single father raising his autistic son Allan.  We are also introduced to her good friend Randy (played by Scott Porter, “Friday Night Lights, “Caprica”) who likes Savannah and quickly becomes jealous of Savannah spending her time with John.

As both John and Savannah enjoy each other’s company and go on a date the following day.  Savannah starts to learn how John was had some trouble when he was younger and when she starts questioning him about his relationship with his father, John closes up.  But Savannah persists and wants to meet John’s father.

So, John takes her to his home.  A bit uncomfortable about the situation, because his father is very quiet and is very meticulous about things.  He is surprised that Savannah is actually taking an interest in the activities of Mr. Tyree (played by Richard Jenkins, “The Visitor”, “The Kingdom”, “Six Feet Under”) who enjoys coin collecting.   Savannah notices his symptoms and realizes he is autistic, something that John is not aware of.  But the two end up having a good first date and the two begin seeing more of each other.

We learn that Savannah is involved in charity and her dream is to open a horse ranch for autistic kids.  John feels that Savannah may be too good for him but Savannah reaffirms her interest in him and both fall in love with each other and from that point on, the two are inseparable and she spends time with John and his father which is significant because John and his father have not been very close.

As the days near the end of their summer vacation, the two have an argument as Savannah, talks about wanting to help autistic children and then brings up his father.  John is upset that Savannah thinks his father is autistic (in his mind autistic=mentally retarded) and thinks that she has only spent time with him and her father only because she was observing him.

But the two eventually make up and as the two weeks are now up, the two must split up.  They promise that after a year’s time, they will reunite.  But for now, to make the time pass, they must write each other letters.

And for a short time, as the two communicate by letters, all seems to go well for both John and Savannah as they count down the days when they will be together again…that is until 9/11.

VIDEO:

“Dear John” is presented in 1080p High Definition (2:40:1) and because the film is shot outdoors for many of the scenes, the colors are absolutely vibrant.   Amazing detail when it comes to the film’s textures, backgrounds, ocean water to skin pores are quite detailed in HD.  Flesh tones are natural, blacks are nice and deep, a fine layer of grain but “Dear John” is a very vibrant film full of colors and for the most part, looks great on Blu-ray.

AUDIO & SUBTITLES:

“Dear John” is presented in English 5.1 DTS-HD MA and in English – Audio Description Track 5.1 Dolby Digital.  Although the film is a romantic film (and one shouldn’t expect anything major in terms of surround channel or LFE usage). There is probably one or two major action scenes in which John and his fellow soldiers looking for insurgents, but for the most part, dialogue is clear and understandable and the music presented in the film sounds great via lossless.

SPECIAL FEATURES:

“Dear John” comes with the following special features:

• BD Exclusive: movieIQ+sync™ and BD-Live connect you to real-time information on the cast, music, trivia and more while watching the movie!
• Deleted and Alternate Scenes - (10:13) 12 deleted and alternate scenes.
• Alternate Ending – (3:41) The alternate ending which I’m glad that it wasn’t used for the final cut.  It’s a bit stalker-ish for my taste.
• Outtakes – (2:24) Featuring outtakes from the film.
• A Conversation with Channing Tatum, Amanda Seyfried and Lasse Hallstrom – (5:22) Director Lass Hallstrom talks about working with Seyfriend and Hallstrom while the two talents talk about working with the director.
• Transforming Charleston – (14:52) Producer Marty Bowen talks about creating locations of around the world in Charleston, South Carolina and working with a talented production team.
• Military in Movies: Dear John’s Military Advisors – (11:02) Lt. Col. Gregory Bishop, Dept. of Defense Army liason for “Dear John” talks about the characters and making the film seem real in a military perspective.
• Mr. Tyree, The Mule, and Benny Dietz – (4:53) Benny Dietz talks about using his knowledge of coin collecting and integrating his knowledge and history of the coins for the film.
• The Story of Braeden Reed – (24:33) A featurette about Braeden Reed who plays the autistic child Allan.  Braeden is autistic and his parents talk about discovering his autism, how they have dealt with it and also how the filmmakers incorporated him into the film.